Cut the Cable and Start Saving $$ Today…

What would you do with an EXTRA $900-$1300 per year..?

Is that too little money for you to worry about..?

Would you like a nice dinner out once a month..?

Well...my wife and I got tired of paying that extra $80-$110 per month to the cable company so we took a leap of faith...we cut the cord.

Yep, we got rid of cable about 6 months ago and love the savings and the flexibility that we now have. Now don't get me wrong, we enjoy watching TV, but now we can do it on our own terms.

Here is everything that you need to know to cut the cord and start saving money TODAY!!! The information that I provide below is accurate and details what I did to cut the cord at my house.  Should you choose to follow any of the links below, I do have an affiliate agreement with some of them.  This costs you nothing, and in some cases will give you a better deal.

TV

OK, so you have to have a TV...What kind of TV is up to you...You can likely use the TV that you already have, but you have options...If you have an older model TV that does not have an HDMI input, then you will need to access channels through a PlayStationX-Box or Blue Ray Player.  For a reasonable investment, you can upgrade your TV or go with a Smart TV. I like this Samsung, available shipped straight to your door from Amazon. This one is not a Smart TV, but does have the required HDMI inputs.  If you do not have a Smart TV, you need some platform to organize the streaming services.  There are a few out there Like Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV and Google Chromecast.  We went with the Roku Streaming Stick.  This is a very easy, plug and play device.  Plug it in to the HDMI port, turn it on and it will walk you through the setup.  So easy, I could do it without my kids help!  I like the Roku because it is an easy to use remote with hot buttons to my most used services.  It also controls the power and volume on the TV.  There is also a voice activated feature that works better than my voice to text feature on my phone.  Another feature that I like is that you can search for a program and it will tell you where to find it even if it is on a platform that you do not usually use...major time saver when looking for a certain program.

Internet

So, unfortunately, this is where we are stuck using the provider in your area.  Check here to see what your options are...After seeing who is available in your area, you will want to look at what they have to offer in the way of speed and pricing.  Due to our location we had to stay with Frontier Fiber and pay $59 per month.  When they took over for Verizon our bill gradually increase from $130 to over $200 per month with no other changes.

Streaming Services

This is the fun part!!  We already subscribed to Amazon Prime before we cut the cord...We tend to order enough stuff from Amazon throughout the year that it seems to make up for the $99 annual fee. (This fee is going up to $119 at renewal in March of 2019, so we'll revisit at that time).  We wanted to watch TV live, not just re-runs that were at least a day old.  We wanted local channels.  We wanted access to our shows (DVR or on demand).  We wanted to be able to watch on multiple TVs/devices at the same time.  With these wants in mind, we looked at the major players in the Streaming market.  Hulu Live, YouTube Live, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now and Sling TV.  We chose Hulu Live...This gives us over 60 channels plus movies that can be watched on multiple devices simultaneously as well as Hulu original content.  This runs us $43.99 per month.  I love music, so we have added Sling Blue so that I can get AXS TV!! Sign up through here to get 7 days free! This runs me $27 per month.

Movies

For movies, we get plenty of movies from Amazon and Hulu Live, but we also have Netflix.  Right now, our Netflix is being paid by T-Mobile.  Through Sling you can also add HBO, Showtime and others...We are very happy with our options without the extra cost.

SPORTS!!!

With Hulu Live we get all of the local networks, and 16 sports specific channels including ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Soutwest, SEC Network and others.  Sling TV has a Sports package for an extra $10 per month that you can add in September and cancel in December if you are afraid of missing a game.

Live Feeds

If you want to make sure that you get the local channels or you do not want to pay for internet service, you can still get local programming in HD over the air using a MoHu Leaf antenna.  This antenna is awesome, can be hung pretty much anywhere and the picture is great for the channels broadcast in HD.  In the Dallas area, I can pick up 98 channels over the air at absolutely no charge, but it does not include HGTV!!!

Most of the streaming services offer some type of Cloud storage.  I looked at TIVO and we actually used it for a while.  I do not think that it is necessary at this point.  You may feel differently for your needs.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out and I will be happy to share my experiences...Good luck Cutting The Cord!!!

David